Process and apparatus for treating hats



Aug. 31, 1937. G. CIPRIANO 2,091,429

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING HATS Filed May 13, 1936 I5 Sheets-Sheet l l v HM INVENTOR ATTORNEY Au 31, 1937. G. CIPR-IANQ 2,091,429 A PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING HATS Filed May 13, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I h /%IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIII/Jg// Aug. 31, 1937.,

G. CIPRIANQ PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING HATS 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 15 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 31, 1937 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING HATS Gandolfo Cipriano, Dongan Hills, N. Y., assignor to Cyprian Machinery Corporation, (New Brighton), New York, N. Y., a corporation of OFFIQE This invention relates to a process and apparatus for treating hat brims of woven hats and particularly hats made of grass-like material or the like and known commercially as Panama Figure 10 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the press is closed.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, but showing a different type of saddle; and

hats. Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 9 but with 5 One of the objects of the invention is to enthe saddle removed and illustrating the manner able a hat brim to be given the proper width in which the width and shape of the hat brim and its edge made smooth and even with greater is determined. ease and certainty than by processes and devices The process and apparatus forming the subat present employed in the commercial art. ject matter of this application may be used in 10 A further object of the invention is to provide connection with an ordinary hat press and for an apparatus whereby a hat brim may be given illustrative purposes, I have shown in Figure 1 its proper width and the edge of the brim finished a cross sectional view of a press substantially like by manipulations which are largely mechanical. that shown in Figure 2 of my Patent #1,819,592

A feature of the invention relates to a process granted August 18, 1931, the said Figure 1 how- 15 f tin a hat br wh reby h ed e is ever, differing from Figure2 of my patent in that evened by p u pp e to t e e e b my present improved brim molding apparatus e Simultaneously. is shown in connection with the press. Since the A further feature of the invention relates to' press is fully shown and described in my patent a process whereby a hat brim is pressed and the aforesaid, it will not be necessary to describe its 0 brim edge finished in one operation. construction and mode of operation in any great A still further feature of the invention relates detail.

to an improved apparatus whereby the process It is sufficient to state that there is provided of determining the proper width of the brim, the the usual dome 2 which supports a rubber bag 4 p sin f he bri n the v n n f he e approximately the shape of the hat, which bag 25 of the brim may be accomplished with greater is normally filled with water to which pressure facility than W apparatus for this purpose may be applied by suitable means well known in now in commercial use. the art. The movable member 6 of the press is Further features and advantages W me supported on a vertically movable plunger whose pp t from t following description and movements are controlled by a lever B in a man- 30 claims taken n connection w h h c mp yner fully described in said patent. When the ing w s in which! lever B is moved from the position. shown in Fig- Figure 1 is a sectional View of a hat pressing ure 1 t th siti n shown in Figure 3 of said machine with which my improved hat brim atent, the press is closed, Figure 1 of the presmelding apparatus y be usedahd y improved ent applicaiton showing the press in open posi- 35 process performed. t

F u e 2 s a p plan w of the usual wn Carried by the member 6 is the usual crown Shellshell or die 9 shaped according to the contour of Figure 3 is an elevation thereofthe hat crown. It is understood of course that Figure 4 is a p P View Of the hat brim various dies may be used, depending upon the 40 mold of the present inVehtiOnshape and size of the crown of the particular hat Figure 5 is a central transverse sectional view t b ressed or molded.

0 e d Shown in Figure My improved process and apparatus will be Figure 6 iS a p plan View Of e Saddle better understood by first giving a brief outline which is adapted to fit over the mold shown in i th th d er ial use 45 o eme o snowin comm c Figures 4 and 5. According to the present practice, a wooden Figure '7 is a transverse central sectional view block is placed within a hat blank, a cord is then.

of Figure tied around the hat at the base of the crown.

Figure 8 is a top plan view showing the mold The width of the brim is determined by measur- 50 and saddle assembled with a hat within the ing it at various places and it is pulled this way mold, parts of the saddle and a part of the or that until its correct width is attained. After hat brim being broken away. this has been done the hat is sized and dried for Figure 9 is a broken sectional view on the line several hours, the wooden block is then taken out 5 99 of Figure 8. and a hollow rubber plug put in its place, the 5 plug having the shape and size to be given to the hat crown and fitting the crown mold. At this stage the hat is put into the press and subjected to pressure to shape it. After this treatment, the

edge of the brim is uneven and further treatment is necessary to smooth and even it. This operation consists in placing the hat over a wooden flange apertured to receive the hat crown and provided with a groove in its outer edge. A cloth is placed over the brim portions of the hat; a cord is placed in and around the groove and the brim is ironed by hand. A small tool is then pressed against successive portions of the brim edge to even it and make it smooth.

The process and apparatus of the present invention permit several of the steps above described to be eliminated, permitting a hat brim to be treated in a much shorter time than heretofore with fewer manipulations.

According to the present invention, I provide 3O brim. The surface 82 as measured from the aperture to the shoulder 13, is of a width equal to that of the brim of the hat to be treated. The element H is also provided with a wall I l of such thickness that its outer circumferential edge I5 5 is of a size to enable the proper width of the brim to be determined when the hat is within the crown mold.

In carrying out my improved process the brim element is placed over the crown mold, the rubber 40 plug it is placed within the hat crown and both are passed through the aperture in the brim element and seated in the crown mold as shown in Figures 1 and 9. At this stage of the procedure the hat brim i6 is adjusted so that its edge coin- 45 cides with the outer edge 15 of the wall M as indicated in Figure 12, to thereby determine the proper width of the brim. After this has: been determined the brim is pushed down against the surface 92 of the brim element and a saddle i8 50 of the type shown in Figure 9 or a saddle 29 of the type shown in Figure 11 is placed over the brim, the assembled parts being then inserted in the press as shown in Figure 1; and the press closed.

55 The saddle 28 is of general oval shape and its under-surface 2i conforms to that of the surface 12 of the brim element. It is also provided with an outer surface 22 which accurately fits within the wall i l of the brim element, said surface 22 60 terminating in an edge 23 which is slightly bevelled as shown in Figure ll. When the assembled parts are put into the press and the press closed, the edge 23 engages the brim of the hat near the edge thereof and forces the brim edge into con- 65 tact with the shoulder l3 which smooths and evens the edge by direct pressure against the entire edge simultaneously. The brim is at the same time pressed between the surfaces l2 and 70 For convenience in shaping and assembling, the brim element 5 i may be formed in separate pieces. As shown in Figures 9 to 12 it functions as one piece and the wall l4 together with the surface 42 with its shoulder l3 may be said to constitute "75 a recess into which the edge of the hat brim: is

forced by the saddle 2B. This operation gives an even smooth edge to the hat brim.

It is found in actual experience in the treating of hat brims that sometimes the brim has a tendency to wrinkle when the saddle is applied and the press moved to closed position as illustrated in Figure 11. To obviate this difficulty I prefer to use the construction of saddle illustrated in Figures 7, 9, and 10 wherein the same is formed of separately movable parts, the part I8 acting to press upon the outer circumferential area of the brim and the part 24 acting upon those portions of the brim adjacent the crown of the hat. The two parts are connected by springs: 25 as shown in Figures 6 and 7. When the saddle is first placed upon the crown mold, the parts assume the position shown in Figure 9 with the part 24 of the saddle in contact with the inner portions of the hat brim adjacent the hat crown. When pressure is applied during the closing of the press, the springs 25 cause the portion 24 to press the hat brim and when the press is fully closed and the springs 25 fully compressed, the parts l8 of the saddle assume the position. shown in Figure 10, the under-surfaces of the parts 58 and E i aligning accurately. Screws 25, Figures 8, 9, and 10 threaded into the member l8 engage slots 2? in the portion 24 of the saddle and serve to guide the movement of the parts I8 and and limit the movement of i8.

From the above it will be seen that my improved process greatly facilitates the molding of hat brims, the process consisting in adjusting the brim to coincide with the edge i5 of the brim element and then applying suitable pressure to the brim. The result is that pressure is simultaneously applied to the entire brim edge as the same is forced against the shoulder l3.

By my improved process also, pressure is applied to the brim surfaces and to the brim edge during the pressing operation.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims without departing from the principle thereof and some parts of the apparatus may be used without others.

What I claim is:

1. Those steps in the process of treating a woven hat which consist in applying pressure to the brim surfaces, said pressure being graduated and applied first to the brim surfaces adjacent the hat crown and subsequently to the remaining portions of the brim surfaces, and applying pressure against the entire brim edge simultaneously.

2. An apertured brim element of general oval shape having a surface against which a hat brim may be pressed, said surface being of the width of a. hat brim to be treated and terminating in a circumferential shoulder, said shoulder being normal to the adjacent surface, and means for pressing the hat brim against said surface, said means provided With an edge having a component of motion toward said shoulder to engage the hat brim near its edge and force the edge of the brim against said shoulder.

3. An apertured brim element of general oval shape having a surface against which a hat brim may be pressed, said surface being of the width of the hat brim to be treated and terminating in a circumferential shoulder, and a saddle having separately movable parts for engaging the hat brim to press it against the brim surface of said element, one of said parts having means having a component of motion towards the brim edge to engage the brim near its edge and force the brim edge against the shoulder of said element.

4. An apertured brim element of general oval shape having a surface against which a hat brim may be pressed and terminating in a circumferential shoulder, a circumferential wall surrounding said surface and with said shoulder forming a circumferential recess, the width of said sur- 10 face to the bottom of said recess corresponding to the width of the hat brim to be treated, said wall having an edge of a size and shape corresponding to the periphery of the hat brim whereby when a hat is within the aperture of the element said wall edge serves to determine the centering of the hat in the element and the width of the brim thereof, and means for pressing the hat brim into the recess and causing its edge to bear against said shoulder.

GANDOLFO CIPRIANO. 

